The Glorious Twelfth / 辉煌的十二日
The Glorious Twelfth is the 12th of August.
辉煌的十二日是八月的第十二日。
It signifies the start of the shooting season for red grouse in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
这意味着在英国和北爱尔兰红松鸡的狩猎季节开始了。
However, it is illegal to shoot birds on a Sunday in the U.K., so if the 12th August is a Sunday then the shooting season starts on the 13th August.
不过，在英国，星期天打鸟是非法的，所以如果8月12日是星期天，那打鸟季节就在8月13日开始。
This tradition goes back to the year 1773 when a law was passed making it illegal to sell grouse before the 12th August.
这个传统可以追溯到1773年，当时通过了一项法律，禁止在8月12日之前出售松鸡。
In the past, shooting birds for food was a popular pastime for rich people.
以前，枪击吃是有钱人常玩的消遣。
These people particularly liked shooting grouse because their erratic flight made them difficult to shoot.
这些人特别喜欢射击松鸡，因为它们飞行不稳定，很难瞄准。
Very rich people from the cities often had an estate in Scotland where they would spend their holidays.
城市里的有钱人经常在苏格兰有一个庄园，他们会在那里度假。
They would often invite family, friends and business associates to join them on the estate to shoot grouse.
他们经常邀请家人、朋友和商业伙伴来庄园一起打松鸡。
They would compete with each other to see who could kill the most birds.
他们会互相比拼，看谁能杀死最多的鸟。
To ensure that there were plenty of birds for the host and his guest to kill, he would employ a gamekeeper.
为了确保有足够的鸟给主人和他的客人设计，他会雇一个猎场管理员。
The gamekeeper would try to create an environment where the birds could breed and thrive.
猎场管理员会试图创造一个鸟类能够繁殖和茁壮成长的环境。
This would often mean protecting the birds from poachers and natural predators.
这通常意味着要保护鸟类免受偷猎者和自然捕食者的伤害.
Although illegal, gamekeepers sometimes lay out poisoned bait that would kill predators such as eagles and foxes.
虽然非法，但守猎者有时会放置毒饵，杀死像老鹰和狐狸这样的捕食者。
Also, because of the unnaturally high population density of the grouse, the grouse can be prone to diseases caused by ticks and other parasites.
而且，由于松鸡的种群密度异常高，它们可能会受到蜱虫和其他寄生虫引起的疾病的影响。
Nowadays, people pay to shoot grouse and it is still considered a rich person’s hobby.
现在，人们花钱打松鸡，这仍然被认为是富人的爱好.
However, there are many people, usually from the cities, who strongly object to hunting birds and animals.
不过，很多人，通常来自城市的人，强烈反对猎杀鸟类和动物。
Some of these people attend shooting parties uninvited and try to disrupt the event.
这些人当中有些是不请自来的，他们试图打乱活动。
These people are called ‘hunt saboteurs’ and their presence at these events sometimes leads to violence.
这些人被称为‘猎杀破坏者’，他们出现在这些活动中有时会导致暴力。
All the grouse that are shot are intended to be eaten.
所有被打猎的松鸡都是为了吃的。
However the grouse must normally be stored in a cool place for 3 – 7 days before they are ready to be cooked.
不过通常情况下，松鸡在烹饪之前需要在一个凉爽的地方储存3到7天。
In the past, restaurants in London, would compete to be the first to serve grouse on the 12thAugust.
以前，伦敦的餐厅会争相在8月12日第一时间上松鸡蔡。
The birds would be shot in the morning in Scotland and sent by train to London to then be served to diners in the evening.
早上在苏格兰会把鸟枪杀，然后坐火车送到伦敦，晚上再给食客提供。
However, in recent years, no London restaurant has been offering this service because of either a lack of birds or their high price.
不过近年来，伦敦的餐厅都没有提供这种服务，要么是因为鸟类缺乏，要么就是价格太高。